Alex Morgan narrates San Diego film week
The annual festival returns to the Digital Gym Cinema this weekend with four features and dozens of local shorts.
By Lucas Sheridan ·
Former U.S. Women’s National Team star Alex Morgan will narrate and executive produce a documentary about a women’s basketball team that turned to its soccer squad for reinforcements. The short film, titled Brick By Brick, is part of San Diego Film Week, which runs from Saturday, Nov. 7, through Nov. 15 at the Digital Gym Cinema in the East Village.
The festival has operated annually since 2017 and serves as the only local event exclusively dedicated to showcasing the city’s film industry. Film Consortium San Diego manages the program, while Glenn Heath, the artistic director at the host venue, emphasizes the theater’s role as a final art house option in the region. Heath stated that the mission is to show documentaries, international films, and experimental works, with Film Week being a core component of that goal.
Four feature films with local connections will screen during the nine-day run. Better Call Babs, a 90-minute documentary directed by Cam Lui and Michael Schnee, follows Babs Fry as she recovers from addiction by rescuing lost pets. Backwards Dad, a 120-minute drama directed by Felix Nunez, depicts a man whose mind ages backwards as he races to meet his son before losing the memory entirely.
The remaining features include Fair Trade, a 120-minute drama directed by Vu Mai and Kevin Blakeley, which centers on foster care outcasts forming a covert network to rescue abused children. Infernal, also 120 minutes and directed by Darien Andreas Brown and Brandon Self, is a fantasy film about a man named Azrael driven to rescue his wife through hidden truths.
Dozens of shorts ranging from two to 20 minutes will also screen each day. Sunset Cliffs is a drama set in 2004 at the fictional Ocean Beach High School. Critter Encounters: A Forever Home documents the work of a wildlife sanctuary in Ramona. Rise Up Industries: Breaking the Cycle spotlights a San Diego social enterprise that helps formerly incarcerated people rebuild their lives through job training and mentorship.
Jodi Cilley, founder and president of Film Consortium, serves as the festival curator. The schedule includes Q&A sessions with filmmakers, panels, workshops, and an award ceremony. Tickets for individual screenings cost $16.
Heath noted that local and student filmmakers have few screening options outside of multiplexes. The Digital Gym Cinema has become a primary venue for these creators to present their work to audiences. The event will conclude on Nov. 15.
